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You might be a builder

TFeeney

Well Known Member
I've been working on this project now for 2.5 years. I'd love to say I'm further along than I am, but there have been certain milestones along the way.

Each time a subassembly comes together...or trying a new process...

This weekend I got the pleasure of a new milestone. Drilling out a LARGE number of rivets to fix a mistake. Over 300 to be exact. Of course I've done the onsey twosey rivets along the way, but this was another mountain altogether.



So maybe today I can call myself an accomplished builder? I never thought I'd have to do it, but it happened. The key for me is that I did stop to fix the mistake AND didn't making more. That boosts the confidence for next time.

Accomplished is at least better than the words I had for myself over the weekend!!

That's 5 hours I'll never get back. Good grief.
But the structure is correct now.
 
Skills

Congratulations. Drilling is definately a valuable skill.
Hate to admit it but I've done similar.
 
I sure chuckled at that photo! Nice technique -- lots of nicely drilled heads.

Good attitude -- get it right or go home. Excellent.

I'm struggling with my tip-up canopy now, and I just put in a un-bugeted order to Vans for some replacement parts. Yea, I could fix it with filler, but I hear that doesn't polish up very well, and, it .... just ain't right!

Keep pounding ... seems like you have the opportunity to do a few hundred more!

Yup, survey says you're a builder.
 
you might be a builder if

You have a bowling alley work bench. Sorry Doug, there might be two of them! I'm capable of an occasional gutter ball - even in the shop.
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I find the time I waste is the time working up the guts to redo something. That is usually longer than the time to do it. After drilling out 300 rivets you will have full confidence to tackle any other repair/replace job. It's surprising how fast they go.

There is a guy around here who build a Zenair with a Subaru. He thought it would be way cheaper than a lyc/continental etc (another story). He had no mechanical background other than changing the oil on his lawn mower and even then he made a mess. So he built it, flew it for 400 hrs and did a presentation at a local RAA (similar to EAA) chapter. The Subi worked ok, but it needed the heads re-worked so often that he kept a spare set and could change them out in like a Nascar pit crew. Eventually his Dodge van needed a head gasket and the dealer wanted $1500 so he did the whole thing himself in 3 hrs. Ran fine. That's what happens when you build confidence. By the time we finish one of these airplanes our skills and confidence are so far from what they were at the beginning (for most of us). That's what I find to be the best part of this journey.
 
There are lots of bowling alley lane workbenches:

woodworker prize them for their flatness.
 
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